Design Tips

House Beautiful is one of my favorite magazines.  They had a great series posted today of design tips that I thought were great.  Here are some of my favorites.  You can find the others on the House Beautiful site.

What would your tip be? 

Alternative Uses for Vintage Handkerchiefs

Apparently waving goodbye?

Waving goodbye to handkerchiefs?  Because gone are the days of people using them.  They have been replaced with kleenex and plenty of over the counter medications to nip a runny nose or watery eyes in the bud.  But there are lots of sweet vintage handkerchiefs out there.

I have two lovely ones from my friend Lindsay.  This past weekend, Monkey, my exceptional hairless chihuahua, was feeling a bit festive.  It being Cinco De Mayo and all.  So I used one of my hankies to make a little bandana for her.

Seeing her with it on got me wondering all the things you could do with them besides how they were actually intended.  Here is what I came up with.

Dressing up a plain vase:

A drip catcher on a water carafe:

Fly deterrant for bowls of food for an outdoor picnic:

Punch of color on a plain purse:

Accent for a basket:

Wrap for serving utensils for traveling:

I love the pattern on this one.  She gave me this to wrap around my bouquet when I was a bridesmaid.  (and another use!)  Daffodils are my favorite flower.

Then with a quick search I found all of these awesome ideas on pinterest. 

Love these curtains! 

You can find this and a whole lot more at http://pinterest.com/mercanstyle/vintage-ladies-hankie-crafts/.

Leave cabinet doors open?

So I read on House Beautiful that leaving doors open is a design secret.  But wouldn't the doors warp?  It looks good I guess but not sure I am sold on it being a design secret.

House Beautiful

There were lots of secrets too such as piling on the pillows, skipping the sofa and mixing styles that I totally agree with.  Using a real rug in a bathroom and painting the walls dark to make a room look larger were some others that I wasn't too sure on.

Click here to see the full photos - lots of great ideas!

A Fun Home

Deborah Needleman via Martha Stewart

I am not sure how I would categorize my style...shabby chic?  Fun?  Mix of old and new?  I don't know.  But I find myself drawn to whimsical homes where things match, but not too much, things are comfy and cozy, but not sloppy, things can be traditional, but not too much.  Notice a pattern? 

When I shopped at the Sleepy Poet Antique mall this past weekend, I also noticed some things that would be perfect in a fun home.  I have recently found Deborah Needleman (remember that great magazine Domino?) and I love her spaces and ideas.  Here are some pictures of what I found and an Interview with Deborah Needleman via Martha Stewart and Kevin Sharkey's blog.

Great patchwork pillows from various fabrics - love the trim!

Dog and horse yard art.

Old fountain bar stools.  I would love to paint the bases in a bright color.  Would be so durable in a family home and take up less space too!  Sometimes bar stools can feel so heavy in a room.

Here is Deborah's book.  Lots of great ideas!